Resurrecting the Champ (PG-13)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight I am reviewing the new film Resurrecting the Champ
, the story of a writer who discovers the fate of a long forgotten boxer.
Scott was unable to join me.
Mike: So what did I think?
I was disappointed. This movie was definitely lacking something. On the positive side I will say it was Samuel L Jackson’s best performance of the last year or two.
If you have seen the trailer or read the poster, the filmmakers have already given away too much. “Based on a true story, that was based on a lie.” Well this got me wondering what was up from the first minute of the movie. When the twist comes, you are already braced for something. Bad plan if you ask me.
Josh Hartnett stars as a sports reporter who is not really going anywhere, although he aspires to higher profile newspaper articles. Hartnett comes across a homeless man (Jackson) who tells him he was the number three boxer in the world many years ago. Hartnett thinks that resurrecting the man known to everyone as “the Champ” may just be the boost he needs.
Jackson does a great acting job here. He is sad, funny and engaging at the same time. You like the Champ, even though you wouldn’t necessarily let him into your house. Maybe your car. The way this is written Jackson’s homeless person is as sanitized as Julia Robert’s prostitute in Pretty Woman.
Unfortunately, his acting doesn’t save this movie. The main character of the film is Hartnett and not Jackson. As likeable as Hartnett is, he and his character both seem pretty average here. This is not a boxing movie as much as it is a journalism movie. It is very talky, which makes it seem a bit longer than its 111 minute length.
There is a great supporting cast that doesn’t get used very much. This movie focuses on Hartnett and Jackson. Kathryn Morris, Alan Alda, Terry Hatcher, David Paymer and Peter Coyote all show up in relatively small parts. In fact if you want to amuse yourself, guess where Peter Coyote appears in the film. I didn’t recognize him at all and wouldn’t even know he was in the film if I hadn’t read some of the end credits.
Director Rod Lurie does a decent job with the average script by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnette. In this movie he has left out the necessary emotional element for us to feel one way or the other about the characters in the film. Lurie has done some nice work in the past with The Contender and recently on television with Line of Fire and Commander in Chief. Lurie has a bit of a Richmond connection as all of these had scenes filmed in Richmond and Line of Fire was actually set in Richmond.
Mike: So how do I rate the film?
I give this a 2.5 overall and a 2 for sports drama.
This weekend let’s see if Samuel Jackson can resurrect his box office appeal.
